Masterpiece & Empyreal (The Grove)

The Empyreal and the Masterpiece are two residential towers of 45 floors located in the superblock Rasuna Epicentrum. Both connected to the mall Epicentrum Walk, they were completed in 2016 by Bakrieland (also behind Bakrie Tower, Aston Rasuna, Taman Rasuna, etc..).

The Masterpiece has 200 units with private lifts while the Empyreal is less prestigious with a common lift and more units per floor (262 in total).

Both towers are next to The Grove Suites, a 4-star hotel managed by the Aston group. The whole complex is called “The Grove”.

I visited the residence with an agent and this is my full review of it:

Location:

Neighborhood

In which neighborhood of Jakarta are The Empyreal & The Masterpiece located?

Location of Masterpiece Empyreal Apartments in Jakarta

The Masterpiece and The Empyreal are located in the Rasuna Epicentrum superblock, a large mixed-use development that includes buildings like Taman Rasuna Apartments, Epicentrum Mall, Club Rasuna (sports facilities), Plaza Festival (low-end mall), etc. It is also near Gran Rubina (an office park with restaurants and cafés) and the MMC hospital.

It is a rather strategic location if you work in the Kuningan business district. You only need a couple of minutes to reach Jalan Rasuna Said (a famous street lined with office buildings and embassies) and less than 25 minutes to access Jalan Sudirman or Mega Kuningan.

Restaurants:The closest restaurants are located within Epicentrum Walk and Pasar Festival. Most serve Indonesian food, for a decent price (around IDR80,000 for a meal). For Western food, I like Aphrodite, Liquid Exchange or the upscale Bluegrass (on the ground floor of Bakrie tower). 2 minutes from it, you can also try the restaurants of the Grand Rubina Business Park such as Trattoria (Italian), Saigon Café (Vietnamese) and Carl’s Jr (Burgers).

A bit further away (10 minutes), you can go to Setiabudi One. It is a food court with a large variety of restaurants and coffee shops: Gula Merah, Dapur Sunda, Burger King, Starbucks, Duck King, etc.

Bars and Nightlife:Two expat bars are located nearby: Aphrodite (sports and billiard) and Liquid Exchange (sports). Both are quite popular and they belong to the same owner.

Another option, more sophisticated, is the trendy Bluegrass that specializes in steaks and grilled meat.

You can also go to Mega Kuningan, one of the hotspots of Jakarta nightlife, in 10-15 minutes.

Transportation

Is there a Transjakarta bus stop nearby?

Transjakarta near Taman Rasuna

The nearest station is in front of Plaza Festival (5 minutes by foot), GOR Sumantri. It is served by the lines 6A, 6M, 6F, 6H and 4D. You can go directly to Ragunan, Dukuh Atas, Senen, Lebak Bulus, Manggarai, and TU Gas.

Is there a train station nearby?Not really. The closest ones are Manggarai and Sudirman but they are at least 3 kilometers away.

How about the MRT (Mass Rapid Transit) or LRT (Light Rapid Transit)?An LRT station should be located at GOR Sumantri in front of Plaza Festival.

Building Quality

Building and Architecture

What is the reputation of the developer?The complex was built by PT Bakrieland Development Tbk, also behind most of the projects in the Rasuna Epicentrum superblock, such as the Bakrie Tower, The Wave, Taman Rasuna Apartments, Aston Rasuna, Plaza Festival, Epicentrum Walk and the 18th Residence Apartment.

I visited all the properties listed above and they are often disappointing. There is a gap between the marketing (what is promised) and what is actually delivered. Also, the Bakrie Group is behind many controversies in Indonesia and it is not particularly known for its integrity.

Who is the architect?I was unable to find this information.

Who is the contractor?The project started with two contractors, PT Pembangunan Perumahan (PP) and PT Hutama Karya, both large companies with extensive experience in large scale projects. Apparently, the coordination between the two was complicated and resulted in major delays. For this reason, only Hutama Karya was left to finish the construction.

What is the situation with the land certificate?The developer has a Hak Guna Bangunan Murni, which means the property was built on its own land. As an apartment owner, you get a Strata Title di atas HGB Murni.

Design and Appearance

How does the building look like?

From Outside (Facade):

View of Empyreal and Masterpiece from Taman Rasuna. At the bottom, you can see the mall Epicentrum

View of Masterpiece-Empyreal

Masterpiece-Empyreal Towers

I like the design as it is rather sleek and elegant. It doesn’t have too much concrete either.

Entrance:

Entrance Masterpiece-Empyreal

Car Lobby Masterpiece-Empyreal

Car drop off Masterpiece-Empyreal

The entrance and drop-off area look nice, with a large canopy to protect from the rain and a fountain in the middle.

Reception/Lobby:

Large lobby that looks prestigious at first. If you pay attention to details, you will notice that a few areas are not too clean or well-maintained.

Reception Masterpiece-Empyreal

Lobby of Masterpiece-Empyreal

Photo lobby of Masterpiece-Empyreal

In lobby Masterpiece-Empyreal

Lobby area Masterpiece-Empyreal

Landscaping and Public Areas:

This is the weak point of Empyreal/Masterpiece. The garden and pool area is tiny and poorly designed. You don’t feel like relaxing there at all.

Swimming Pool Masterpiece-Empyreal The Grove Suites

Gardening Masterpiece-Empyreal

Around Pool Masterpiece-Empyreal

Corridors and lifts:

Corridors in apartments Masterpiece-Empyreal

Corridors of Masterpiece-Empyreal

Lift to apartment Masterpiece-Empyreal

How spacious are the apartments?The apartments’ size is the following:

– Gym, playground for kids, etc: They were not ready yet when I visited. For fitness, you can go to the Elite Club 5 minutes away (with a fee).

What are the services available within the property?Many services are available within the mall Epicentrum Walk (laundry, ATM, supermarket, restaurants, etc).

Are there issues with the electricity supply?None that I know about.

Are their issues with parking?No.

Are there enough lifts?Yes.

Atmosphere

Is the property busy?My guess is that the occupancy is still average. I didn’t see so many tenants. The hotel Grove Suites seems popular, though.

Is it noisy?I didn’t think it was.

What is the background (ethnicity, social status) and attitude of residents?I didn’t see many residents. I would guess most are Indonesians with a few expatriates.

Management

Maintenance

How old is the property?The property was completed in 2016.

Are there visible damages?Unfortunately, yes. For instance:

Maintenance issues Masterpiece-Empyreal

Ceiling damaged in lobby Masterpiece-Empyreal

Overall maintenance rating: 6/10

Cleanliness

Mostly clean but not perfect.

Overall cleanliness rating: 7/10

Gardening

Small garden with decent maintenance.

Overall gardening rating: 7/10

Security

– Guards: On duty at the gates and reception: 24/7– CCTV cameras: Yes in the lobby and the lift.– Access: You need an access card to reach your floor.

Overall security rating: 7/10

Hospitality

The staff is friendly and professional.

Overall hospitality rating: 8/10

Rooms and Prices

Prices at Masterpiece/Empyreal may vary depending on many factors such as the floor, the unit type, the room condition and the furnishings. Some units also have a private lift.

Be aware that you may also need to pay for additional fees: Service charge, parking fee, electricity and water bills, etc. Here are a few examples of prices and ratios for this property:

1-Bedroom (57m2) – Well-furnished:

Rental 1 Year: Approximately IDR 192 million (or 16 million per month)

Buy: Approximately IDR 2,500,000,000

Break Even Point (Buying Price/Gross Annual Rental): 13 years

Average buying price/m2: IDR 43 million/m2

I took these prices from the internet but I think they are a bit exaggerated. You can probably buy or rent for less than that if you negotiate well.

Investment Potential

Here are some of the factors that may affect the buying price of this property:

– Factors pushing the prices up:

LRT/MRT station at GOR Sumantri

– Factors pushing the prices down:

Still a lot of empty land around The Grove. New towers will probably be built and they will compete with Empyreal/Masterpiece

Overall evaluation of the price: Would I buy here?This complex is definitely underwhelming and not as luxurious as it claims to be. Even though the location is great, I wouldn’t feel comfortable buying here as there is too much uncertainty about the quality of the maintenance/management.

More Photos

My Ratings

I do my best to write honest and detailed reviews of the apartments I visit. If you disagree with my rating, please let me know why and leave your own rating at the end of this page.

Masterpiece & Empyreal (The Grove)

3.3 / 5My Rating

{{ reviewsOverall }} / 5Readers' Rating(0 votes)

What I Liked

- Connected to the Mall Epicentrum, near the business center of Jakarta
- Nice architecture, especially the facade and the lobby
- Reasonable prices considering the size of the apartments and the overall quality of the property

What I Didn't Like

- Disappointing facilities, especially the swimming pool area
- Maintenance should be improved